41 lost cultural treasures returned to China from US

The National Cultural Heritage Administration received 41 cultural relics and artworks returned by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in New York, USA, on March 4 (Beijing Time).

These items, spanning from the Neolithic period to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), include a bronze money tree, pottery li, bronze zun, and pottery figurines, representing various categories like pottery, jade, bronze, and Buddhist artifacts.

After expert analysis, these artifacts were found to possess significant historical, artistic, and scientific value and are categorized as illegally exported Chinese cultural relics.

In November 2024, the Administration collaborated with the Chinese Consulate General in New York to facilitate the successful return of these items seized by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

Since the initial signing in 2009, the Memorandum of Understanding between China and the United States has been renewed three times (2014, 2019, 2024), resulting in the repatriation of 594 cultural relics and artworks in 20 batches from the United States to China.